Chapter 39: Shadow Step (1/2)?He gazed around the vast underground chamber, his predatory eyes missing nothing in the dim light. ?The twisted metal chandelier cast long, distorted shadows that seemed to point accusingly at the dead men on the floor. ?The shelves carved into the rock walls offered no salvation, their contents—leather-bound tomes and scattered papers. ?There was nothing—no hidden rooms, no secret exits, no emergency escapes. ?Under Aviara's dumbfounded gaze, Lucien wandered, checking every corner. His boots left impressions in the blood-soaked dust as he pulled at every note he could find, running his gloved fingers along the seams where wall met floor, before finally returning to his original position and looking at her.?What is this? There’s no emergency escape or anything like that. That means… ?His red eyes scanned the vaulted ceiling once more, searching for any crack or crevice they might exploit. ?Should he pull the cssic stunt? Break through the floor above in a dramatic escape? It looked like there were no other options—the boratory had been designed with containment in mind, not convenience of exit. Lucien's mouth tightened into a thin line as he made his decision.?Sigh… it seems I need to come out and py the hero, shall I? he thought, looking at the still-confused Aviara.?…?Thus, following their ascent up the narrow, creaking dder that led to the trapdoor, Lucien and Aviara walked together slowly through the tent's interior. ?Aviara still looked confused, her yellowish eyes darting between Lucien's face and the tent's entrance. Her fingers kept tangling and untangling nervously as she walked, the chains at her wrists producing a soft, constant tinkling that seemed too delicate for such a powerful being. ?Blood had dried in her bck hair, making it stiff in pces, while her single horn caught and scattered the mplight with each step. ?Guide? What kind of guide? Why would such an esteemed being need a guide? The only kind of "guide" she could imagine was the sort that involved serving or warming the bed. The thought made heat rise to her face as she gnced at the side profile of her new, towering master.?Her cheeks flushed purple beneath her pearlescent skin, the color visible even in the dim light. Her gaze traced the strong line of his jaw, the unusual width of his mouth, the hypnotic red glow of his eyes. ?But then her slit yellow pupils hardened, narrowing to thin lines as they neared the entrance. ?She could smell the stench of those disgusting church instruments—a mix of gunpowder and roses—which brought back the torment she had suffered at their hands. ?The scent clung to the night air, inescapable and nauseating, making her nostrils fre and her stomach clench. ?Her eyebrows drew together in a frown, creating deep furrows in her blood-stained brow. ?"My lord, there—" she began to warn him, her voice husky from her earlier screams, but he kept striding forward as if he didn't care. Or perhaps, more terrifyingly, as if he knew exactly what awaited them.?Aviara hesitated, her bare feet stopping, her steps faltering as he moved farther ahead, walking straight into the trap.?No... why am I afraid? She bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood, tasting copper on her tongue. ?She clenched her fists until her knuckles cracked—the same fists that had just crushed two men's skulls—and hurried to follow Lucien, her tattered dress swirling around her powerful legs. ?Despite knowing nothing of his background, his name, or his motives, he was the one who had saved her—given her purpose when she'd been nothing but an empty shell. ?And what appeared before her as they stepped through the tent fp was exactly what she expected: the same kind of encirclement those bastards had used when surrounding her parents. ?"Oh, so this is what those vilgers were talking about—a vampire and… an ogre? How did they slip through?" a voice called out from nowhere, ced with smug superiority that made Aviara's blood boil. ?Suddenly, a blinding light shone down on Aviara and Lucien—magical in origin, too steady to be torchlight—forcing Aviara to shield her sensitive eyes with one bloodied hand. The harsh illumination carved their shadows into stark relief against the trampled ground, making them look like paper cutouts against the night.?Beyond the light, several figures cd in those hypocritical white knight armors surrounded them in a perfect circle, their polished breastptes reflecting the light like mirrors, momentarily hiding their faces. ?Some wielded silver swords that gleamed with an unnatural luster in the darkness, edges catching the light like teeth eager to bite. ?Others aimed their long, human-looking guns directly at them, the barrels unwavering as fingers hovered over triggers. ?Not only that, but there was also a kind of faint barrier—shimmering like heat above desert sand, nearly invisible except where it caught the light at its edges. ?Ritual candles had been arranged in a precise pattern around them, each fme burning with an unnatural steadiness despite the night breeze, their wax dripping blood-red onto the trampled earth. ?And most ominous of all, a prepared cage stood ready nearby.?"It seems this is my fate," her master's voice—Lucien's—rang in her wary mind. The words carried a strange blend of resignation and amusement that made her single horn tingle with apprehension. ?She saw his back facing her as he continued to stand tall and unbowed, his long coat absorbing the harsh light rather than reflecting it, his dark hair shifting slightly in the night air. "Run when there's a chance, Aviara."?It was the first time he had spoken her name—those three sylbles in his resonant voice sending an unexpected shiver down her spine. ?The sound of it felt like a gift she didn't deserve, a momentary connection amid chaos. ?Yet for some reason, Aviara couldn't muster a single word in reply. Her throat constricted, emotion stealing her voice.?In the next moment...?"What? Do you want to use your Shadow Step?" the previously smug and arrogant voice echoed again when Lucien adopted a slightly crouched posture, his knees bending with predatory intent. The Saint's lips curled upward, revealing pristine teeth that caught the blue light of the camp's arcane mps. "It's useless because—"?But before this arrogant person could finish mocking him, the blinding ritual hexagram surrounding Lucien and Aviara fred to life with a sizzling hiss, arcane symbols burning white-hot against the packed earth. The barrier encasing them like a cage flickered with pulses of searing light, casting harsh shadows across Aviara's horn and illuminating the blood-streaked tears on her cheeks. She instinctively flinched backward, her yellow, slit-pupiled eyes narrowing against the painful brightness.?"It's useless!" the arrogant person finished, voice dripping with contempt, yet—?"Argh!" A wet, gurgling scream erupted from behind the arrogant figure, the sound abruptly cut short with a sickening finality. ?Blood misted the cool night air, droplets catching the blue mplight like macabre fireflies. ?At the same moment, under the Saint's widening, disbelieving eyes, the tall, imposing vampire—once standing there with his top hat casting shadows across his marble-pale features and his dark coat absorbing the fractured light—had vanished into nothingness, leaving only disturbed air in his wake.?"Saint, he's ri—" One of the voices tried to warn the arrogant man—the Saint—but their words transformed mid-sylble into a strangled gasp. ?The warning died in a spray of crimson as the knight's throat opened beneath an unseen bde. Their gauntleted hand reached uselessly toward their commander, metal fingers grasping at empty air before colpsing with a hollow cng against the hard ground.?"What?!" The Saint, a tier 4 being who had arrogantly tried to trap this wild vampire, now whirled around, white robes snapping like sails in a storm, his face draining of color. ?Three Holy Knights, an Initiate Squire, and a tier 1 being already y decapitated, their heads rolling on the ground with eyes still blinking in confusion, helmets cttering across the packed earth. ?Blood pumped rhythmically from severed necks, soaking into the thirsty soil while the remaining Holy Knights stood frozen in shock, armor ptes rattling with their trembling, fingers white-knuckled around weapons suddenly inadequate against this unseen horror.?Meanwhile, Lucien crouched low to the ground, his long nails leaving deep, curved scratches as he moved like a four-legged beast, each motion fluid and unnaturally graceful despite its bestial nature. ?His coat billowed open, the dark fabric rippling like living shadow, his top hat gone, knocked aside in his explosive movement. ?His face was fully exposed now, fangs gleaming wetly in the moonlight as his tongue unconsciously traced along their razor edge. ?Three down, and there are… many more. Lucien's eyes, slit and glowing red like embers in a dying fire, scanned the stunned knights, who were still processing what they had witnessed.